David Hairston
First TheologySaint Mary's Seminary and University
Westminster Choir College
Growing up on Long Island, New York, I was fortunate to have a childhood filled with enriching experiences. My parents instilled in me a strong sense of love for Christ, which I still carry with me today.
As a young child, I studied the pipe organ and received professional choral training as a member of The Cathedral of the Incarnation’s (Episcopal) Men and Boys Choir in Garden City. Thanks to my classical education from the Waldorf School, I had the opportunity to develop my musical skills from a young age.
By age nine, I was already training choirs and writing sacred organ and choral arrangements. My passion for sacred music led me to attend Westminster Choir College, where I majored in Church Music with the pipe organ as my principal and voice as my minor. Over the years, I have been blessed to perform at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls with world-renowned orchestras and conductors and tour with the Westminster Chapel and Westminster Symphonic Choirs.
My dedication to my work as an Episcopal Church Organist and Choirmaster earned me several international performance awards and fellowships. After relocating to Virginia to work for a prestigious organ company, I was confirmed into the Catholic faith. Since then, I have listened to requests from my New York congregants, choir members, clergy friends, students, my spiritual director, and ultimately, God, to become a priest.
This calling has brought me closer to God, and I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passion for sacred music, which can be infused in my service to Him as a seminarian and, God willing, a priest. As I continue this journey, I ask for your prayers for our seminarians and interns.
Favorite Saint: Saint Francis of Assisi
Home Parish: Our Lady of Nazareth, Roanoke
